Braiding apparatus with means for guiding and propelling strand carriers



AL 3,363,502 FOR GUIDING IERS l 1 e e h cw s v e e h S 4 R TR EA G ED N1968 M. R. FLORENTI BRAIDING APPARATUS WITH MEANS AND PROPELLING STRANFiled April 14, 1967 1968 M. R. FLORENTINE ET AL 3,363,502

BRAIDING APPARATUS WITH MEANS FOR GUIDING AND PROPELLING STRAND CARRIERSFiled April 14, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet P lE- 93 /2/ 4 /06 26 7 29 W F7 5 97W x 4 V Jan. 16, 1968 M. R. FLOR TINE ET AL 3,363,502

BRAIDING APPARATUS H MEANS FOR GUIDING AND PROPELLING STRAND CARRIER 3Filed April 14, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 26b 95 M0 a; 9 90 Jan. 16, 1968 M.R. FLORENTINE ET AL 3,363,502

BRAIDING APPA US WIT v RAT H MEANS FOR GUIDING AND PROPELLING STRANDCARRIERS Filed April 14, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent3,363,502 BRAIDING APPARATUS WITH MEANS FOR GUID- ING AND PROPELLINGSTRAND CARRIERS Marcus Ralph Florentine and Donald Richardson, SinkingSpring, Pa., assignors to Textile Machine Works,

Wyomissing, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Apr. 14, 1967, Ser.No. 630,916 Claims. (Cl. 87-38) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The inventiondisclosed herein relates to braiding machines and more particularly tomeans for propelling and guiding the strand supply carriers of suchmachines along sinuous paths in opposite directions about a braidingpoint.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The invention isspecifically directed to means for controlling the high speed movementof the strand supply carriers of braiding machines along oppositelydirected sinuous intersecting paths around a braiding point includingshuttle members on which the strand supply carriers are mounted, acircle of rotors adjacent pairs of which are driven in oppositedirections, cooperating means on the shuttle members and rotors by meansof which the shuttle members are connected to and driven by the rotors,and a series of rollers on the shuttle members cooperating with innerand outer guiding or camming surfaces associated with each rotor formaintaining the driving connection between the shuttle members and theindividual rotors and for transferring the driving connections for theshuttle members between adjacent rotors to move the shuttle membersalong their sinuous paths.

Description 0 the prior art Heretofore in the most common form ofbraiding machines for forming tubular braids, or a tubular braidedcovering for cores, the machines were provided with a deck plate havingsinuous intersecting guideways for di recting strand carriers inopposite directions around the braiding point, the strand carriershaving driving lugs for engagement in slots in oppositely rotating horngears, upper and lower foot plates for engaging opposite faces of thedeck plate and elongated heart pieces connecting the foot plates andinterfitting in the guideways. The guideways were arranged to coact withthe heart pieces to maintain the carriers in predetermined relationshipto the braiding point and cause transfer of the driving lugs from a slotin one horn gear to a slot in the adjacent horn gear generally asdisclosed in US. Patent No. 1,801,104, issued Apr. 14, 1931.

In another form of machine, as shown in German Patent No. 344,745, thestrand carriers were provided with a pair of driving pins for engagementin semicircular notches in flanges of the horn gears with the carriersdriven in one direction having a roller intermediate the driving pinsfor engaging alternate inner and outer arcuate surfaces associated withadjacent pairs of the horn gears. The ends of the adjacent arcuatesurfaces extended parallel to each other to confine the roller duringtransfer of the driving pins from the notches in one horn gear to thenotches in the adjacent horn gear. The carriers driven in the oppositedirection were also provided with pairs of driving pins for engaging thenotches in the horn gears and opposed rollers one of which coacted withan outer arcuate cam surface associated with one horn gear and the otherof which coacted with an inner arcuate cam sur- Patented Jan. 16, 1968face associated with the adjacent horn gear. While it appears thatcoaction between the rollers and arcuate cam surfaces maintained thedriving .pins in engagement with the notches of the individual horngears engagement of the rollers between the extensions of the arcuatesurfaces did not prevent rotation of the carrier about the roller at thetransfer points which resulted in partial disengagement of both theleading and trailing driving pins from the notches in the adjacent horngears. Furthermore, such disengagement of the driving pins was actuallynecessary to compensate for the increase in the center-to-centerdistance between the trailing notch of one gear and the leading notch ofthe adjacent gear over the center-to-center distance between the drivingpins.

Hence, in machines having carriers with the heart piece and lug typeguiding and driving means or carriers with roller and pin type guidingand driving means momentary lose of control of the carriers at thecrossing or transfer points which coupled with the centrifugal forcesdeveloped in the carriers caused the carriers to wobble and resulted inthe development of excessive wear between the coacting surfaces of thecarriers and the guiding and driving means of the machine therebygreatly limiting the speed of operation of the machine.

Summary 07 the invention Briefly summarized the invention resides in theprovision of means in a braiding machine for moving strand supplycarriers in oppositely directed intersecting sinuous paths includingrotors, shuttle members on which the strand supply carriers are mountedand cooperating means on the rotors for driving the shuttle members,means for maintaining the cooperating means on the shuttle members andthe individual rotors in driving engagement and for guiding the shuttlemembers through the intersecting portions of their paths in a manner totransfer the shuttle members between adjacent rotors while maintainingthe cooperating means on the shuttle members and adjacent rotors indriving engagement.

Description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a plan view of a braiding deck ofa horizontal braiding machine having mechanism according to theinvention incorporated therein;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken substantiallyalong the line and in the direction of the arrows 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view on an enlarged scale of the strand carrier supportingmeans and driving means therefor taken in the direction of the arrows3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line and in thedirection of the arrows 4-4 of FIG. 2,;

FIG. 5 is a sectional View taken along the line and in the direction ofthe arrows 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line and in the direction ofthe arrows 66 of FIG. 2; and

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are views similar to a portion of FIG. 4 but with theparts shown in different positions relative to each other.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring to the drawings thereis shown a braiding head or deck 10 of a horizontal type braidingmachine for forming braided coverings on high pressure tubular hose andthe like including an annular housing 11 secured to and supported bylegs 12 on a base member 15 (FIG. 1). The housing 11 has a rear wall 16,an outer wall 17 and an inner wall 20 (FIG. 2) defining an innercircular opening 21 through which the hose passes from other similarbraiding heads or other heads or stations at which other operations areperformed in forming the hose.

Mounted in the rear wall 16 on a circular center line concentric withthe axial center of the housing is a series of like hearing members 22for rotatably supporting rotors 25 for driving shuttle members 26, eachof which supports a strand supply carrier, diagrammatically shown at 28in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, along intersecting sinuous paths in oppositedirections around a braiding point 29, in a manner to be hereinafterdescribed. Each of the bearing members 22 has a flange 27 adapted to besecured to the outer face of Wall 16 by bolts 30, a bearing portion 31interfitting a bore 32 in the wall 16 and a bearing portion 35 ofreduced diameter for mounting inner races of ball bearings 36 and 37.The inner races of bearings 36 and 37, which are separated by a spacersleeve 40, are retained in position on the portion 35 between a shoulder41 formed between bearing portions 31 and 35 of the member 22 and aC-ring 42 or the like carried in a groove 45 in the portion 35.

Each of the rotors 25 includes a member 46 mounted on outer races of thebearings 36 and 37, the member 46 having a gear portion 47 adapted formeshing engagement with the gear portions of next adjacent rotorswhereby alternate rotors of the series will be caused to rotate in adirection opposite to intermediate rotors for purposes hereinafter setforth. The rotors are rotated by a gear 43 meshing with the gear portion47 of one of the rotors, the gear 43 being driven by gears 44 and achain or belt 48 from a drive shaft 49 as diagrammatically shown inFIG. 1. Each member 46 is provided with a flange 50 having spacedopenings 51 for receiving reduced portions 52 at one end of posts 55,the posts being secured in the flange by nuts 56 threadably carried onthe ends of portions 52. The other ends of posts are similarly providedwith reduced portions 57 inserted through openings 60 in a second flange61 secured to the posts by nuts 62 threadably carried on portions 57.The flange 61 is provided with a bore 65 adapted to receive an outerrace of a ball bearing 66, the outer race being retained in the borebetween a shoulder 67 formed at one end of the bore and a C-ring 70carried in an annular groove 71 in the bore 65. The inner race of theball bearing 66 is mounted on a stub shaft 72 carried in a bore 75 inthe end of the member 22 remote from the flange 27 (FIG. 2).

The flanges 50 and 61 of the rotors 25 are provided with recesses 76alternating with portions 77. The corresponding portions 77 in each ofthe flanges of alternate rotors have aligned notches 80 formed in theouter periphery thereof adjacent a wall 81 defining one end of eachrecess 76 (FIGS. 4 and 6). The flange portions 77 of alternate rotorsare also provided with aligned elongated notches 82 each having asurface 85 concentric to the axial center of the rotor and extendinginwardly from a wall 86 defining the other end of each recess 76, theinner end of the surface 85 being connected to the outer periphery ofthe portion 77 by an end surface 87. In the intervening rotors 25 theportions 77 on the flanges 50 and 61 are provided with notches 80 and 82which are reversed in order as compared to the alternate rotors (FIG. 1)so that like notches meet in next adjacent rotors during rotationthereof in opposite directions.

The shuttle members 26 each include a. frame 90 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 4)having flanges 91, 92, and 93 and a support flange 94, on which a strandsupply carrier 28 is mounted, which are joined to each other bytransversely extending ribs 95, a center shaft 96 mounted in the flangesintermediate the ribs, and end shafts 97 also mounted in the flanges butequidistant from the center of shaft 96 and at opposite sides thereof.Each of the shafts 97 rotatably carries a spool-like roller 100 having aportion 101 for engagement with the notches 80 and 82 in the flanges 54)of the rotors 25, flanges 102, flanking the portion 101, for engagementwith opposite side faces of the flange 50 and a hub 105. Also rotatablymounted on each of the shafts 97 between the flange 93 and a C-ring 106carried in a groove in the shaft, is a roller 107 for engagement withthe notches 80 and 82 in the flange 61.

A roller 111i rotatably mounted on each of the shafts 97 adjacent theroller 100 is adapted to engage outer guide surfaces 111 concentric tothe center of each rotor 25 and defined by a flange 112 extendinginwardly of the wall 17 of the housing 11, and similar inner guidesurfaces 115, having the same radius as surfaces 111, defined by aflange 116 extending inwardly of the inner Wall of the housing. A roller117 of the same diameter as roller 111] is rotatably mounted on eachshaft 97 for engagement with outer guide surfaces 120, aligned with andhaving the same radius as surfaces 111, defined by a flange 121extending inwardly of the wall 17 of housing 11 and guide surfaces 122,aligned with and having the same radius as surfaces 115, defined by aflange 125 extending inwardly of the wall 20 of the housing. The rollers100 and 110 are retained against axial movement on the shafts 97 by theflange 91 of the shuttle frame 90 and a split collar 126 clamped to theshafts as by screws 127 (FIG. 3) and the rollers 117 are retainedagainst axial movement on the shafts by C-rings 130 (FIGS. 2 and 5)carried in grooves in the shafts at opposite sides of the rollers.

Rotatably mounted on the shaft 96 of each shuttle member between C-rings132, carried in grooves in the shaft, is a roller adapted to engage thesurfaces 111 and 115 defined by the flanges 112 and 116, respectively,and a roller 136 also rotatably mounted on the shaft between the flanges93 and a C-ring 137 is adapted to engage the surfaces 120 and 122defined by the flanges 121 and 125, respectively. Also rotatably mountedbetween C-rings 139 on the shaft 96 of each of the shuttle members 25adapted to follow a clockwise path, indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 1,is a roller 140 adapted to engage a cam 141 associated with each of therotors 25, the cam 141 having a portion 142 parallel to the guidesurfaces 111, 120 or 115, 122, and diverging portions 145. As will beseen in FIG. 6 the positions of the cams 141 associated with adjacentrotors is reversed so that the surface 142 of one cam is parallel tosurfaces 111 and 120 while the surface 142 of the next adjacent cam isparallel to the surfaces 115 and 122. Also as shown in FIG. 6 theportions 145 of adjacent cams 141 are in facing relationship to eachother.

The shaft 96 of each of the shuttle members 25 adapted to follow thecounterclockwise path, indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 1, rotatablycarries a first transfer means comprising a roller 146 (FIG. 6) forengagement with a second transfer means comprising a cam 147 associatedwith each rotor 25, the cam having a surface 150, parallel to thesurfaces 111, 120 or 115, 122, and diverging portions 151. The functionof the first and second transfer means is hereinafter set forth indetail. As will also he noted in FIG. 6 the positions of the cams 147associated with adjacent rotors is reversed so that the surface 150 ofone cam 147 is parallel to surfaces 115 and 122 while the surface 150 ofthe next adjacent cam is parallel to the surfaces 111 and 120. Also theportions 151 of adjacent cams 147 are in facing relationship to eachother. The cams 141 and 147 associated with each rotor are mounted onthe stub shaft 72 and secured to the end of the bearing member 22 forthe rotor as by screws 152 (FIGS. 2 and 6) and the rollers 140 and 146are positioned on the shafts 96 at the level of the cams they engage.

In operation one group of shuttle members identified as 26a are drivenin the counterclockwise direction A and a second group of shuttlemembers identified as 26b are driven in the clockwise direction B. Thenotches 80 and 82 in the flanges 50 and 61 of the rotors 25 are arrangedso that the trailing rollers 100 and 107 of the shuttle members areengaged in the notches 80 adjacent one side of recesses 76 and theleading rollers 100 and 107 are engaged in the notches 82 adjacent theother side of the recesses. During movement of the shuttle members 26aand 26b with the individual rotors, rollers 110, 135, and

117, 136 alternately engage the outer and inner surfaces 111, 120, and115, 122 respectively, to maintain the rollers 100 and 107 in engagementwith the notches 80 and 82 in the rotors. Also at this time the roller146 on each of the shuttle members 26a moving in the counterclockwisedirection A alternately engages the cams 147 of the adjacent rotors, andthe rollers 140 on each of the shuttle members 26b moving in theclockwise direction B alternately engage the cams 141 of the adjacentrotors.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 to 9, during movement of a shuttle member 26a,in the counterclockwise direction A between adjacent rotors, after therollers 110 and 117 at the leading end of the shuttle member pass theends of the outer surfaces 111 and 120 respectively, associated with arotor indicated at a, engagement of the rollers 110 and 117 at thetrailing end of the shuttle member, and engagement of the rollers 135and 13-5 on the shuttle member, with the surfaces 111 and 120 maintainthe leading rollers 110 and 117 in engagement with the notches 82 in therotor 25a. As the rotors continue to rotate the notches 82 in the rotor25a and the adjacent rotor indicated at 25b converge and meet with theleading rollers 100 and 107 of the shuttle member 26a in engagement withthe ends 87 of the notches as shown in FIG. 7. At this time the rollers110 and 117 at the trailing end of the shuttle member 26a and therollers 135 and 136 on the shuttle member continue to engage thesurfaces 111 and 120 associated with the rotor 25a and the roller 146 onthe shuttle member is still in engagement with the surface 150 of thecam 147 associated with the rotor 25a.

During continued rotation of the rotors the rollers 135 and 136 of theshuttle member 26a move out of engagement with the surfaces 111 and 120,respectively, associa ed with the rotor 25a and the roller 146 passesfrom surface 150 to a portion 151 of cam 147 to transfer the rollers 100and 107 at the leading end of the shuttle member to the notches 82 inthe adjacent rotor 25b as the paths of the notches diverge as shown inFIG. 4. Also it will be noted in FIG. 4 that the distance between thenotches 80 in the rotor 25a and the ends 87 of the notches 82 in theadjacent rotor 25b has increased slightly so that at this time theleading rollers 100 and 107 in the shuttle are momentarily out ofengagement with the end surfaces 87 of the notches 82. As the rotorscontinue to rotate the leading rollers 110 and 117 on the shuttle member26a engage the surfaces 115 and 122 associated with the rotor 25b tohold the leading rollers 100 and 107 in the notches 82 in the rotor251:. Also at this time the roller 146 is held between the portions 151of the cams associated with both rotors 25a and 25b and the trailingrollers 110 and 117 are in engagement with the surfaces 111 and 120respectively, associated with the rotor 25a to hold the trailing rollers100 and 107 in the notches 80 of the rotor 25a, as shown in FIG. 8.

As the rotors continue to rotate the trailing rollers 110 and 117 on theshuttle 26a move out of engagement with the surfaces 111 and 120associated with the rotor 25a and at this time engagement of the roller146 with the cam 147 associated with the rotor 25]) maintains thetrailing rollers 100 and 107 in driving engagement in the notches 80 ofthe rotor 25a until the corresponding notches 80 in the rotors 25a and25b converge and meet and the rollers 135 and 136 engage the surfaces115 and 122, respectively, associated with the rotor 2512, as shown inFIG. 9. At this time since both leading and trailing rollers 100 and 107are in engagement with the notches 80 and 82 in the rotor 25b theleading rollers 100 and 107 are again in engagement with the endsurfaces of the notches 82. Thereafter as the rotors continue to rotateengagement of the leading rollers 110 and 117 and the rollers 135 and136 with the surfaces 115 and 122 associated with the rotor 25!)maintains the trailing rollers 6 and 107 in driving engagement with thenotches 80 in the rotor 25b until the trailing rollers 110 and 117 alsoengage the surfaces and 122 associated with the rotor 25b to hold thetrailing rollers 100 and 107 in the notches 80 therein.

It is believed to be obvious from the foregoing that cooperation of theleading and trailing rollers 110 and 117 and the rollers and 136 on theshuttle members 26a with the concentric surfaces of the housing 11 andthe cooperation of the rollers 146 with the cams 147 maintain theshuttle members in positive driving engagement with the rotors 25 andcontrol the shuttle members to effect the smooth transfer of the shuttlemembers 26a between the adjacent rotors. Also it is believed to beobvious that cooperation between the various rollers on the shuttlemembers 26b which are driven in the direction B with the concentricsurfaces of the housing 11 and cooperation of the rollers 140 with thecams 141 maintains these shuttle members in driving engagement with therotors and effect the transfer of these shuttles between adjacent rotorsin the same manner as shuttle members 26a.

It will be understood that the improvement specifically shown anddescribed by which the above results are obtained can be changed andmodified in various ways without departing from the invention hereindisclosed and hereinafter claimed.

We claim:

1. In a braiding machine having strand supply carriers adapted to bemoved along intersecting sinuous paths in opposite directions around abraiding point, a housing, a circular series of rotors mounted in saidhousing, intermeshing gear means on said rotors whereby adjacent ones ofsaid rotors are adapted to be rotated in opposite directions, shuttlemembers on which said strand supply carriers are mounted, and means formoving said shuttle members to move said strand supply carriers thereonalong said intersecting sinuous paths in said opposite directions, theimprovement wherein said means includes spaced pairs of notches in saidrotors, first rollers on each of said shuttle members for engagement insaid pairs of notches in said rotors, second rollers on each of saidshuttle members, a third roller on each of said shuttle members, outerand inner concentric surfaces on said housing associated with each ofsaid rotors, a first transfer means on each of said shuttle members, anda second transfer means associated with each of said rotors, said secondand third rollers on said shuttle members cooperating with said outerand inner concentric surfaces to maintain said first rollers inengagement with said pairs of notches in said rotors associatedtherewith, and said second and third rollers cooperating with said outerand inner concentric surfaces and said first transfer means on saidshuttle members cooperating with said second transfer means associatedwith adjacent rotors to transfer said first rollers from said pairs ofnotches in one of said adjacent rotors to the pairs of notches in theother of said adjacent rotors.

2. A machine according to claim 1 in which said spaced pairs of notchesare formed in first and second flanges on each of said rotors, and thereis a first pair of said first rollers on each of said shuttle membersfor engaging the pairs of notches in said first flange and a second pairof said first rollers one each of said shuttle members for engaging thepairs of notches in said second flange.

3. In a machine according to claim 2 in which there is a pair of saidsecond rollers associated with each of said first and second pairs ofsaid first rollers on each of said shuttle members, and a third rollerassociated with each pair of said second rollers, and there are outerand inner concentric surfaces on said housing associated with each ofsaid rotors for engagement with each pair of said second rollers andsaid third roller associated therewith.

4. In a machine according to claim 3 in which each of said first andsecond pair of said first rollers and a pair of said second rollersassociated therewith are rotatably mounted on first and second shafts insaid shuttle member and said third rollers associated with said pairs ofsaid second rollers are rotatably mounted on a third shaft in saidshuttle member.

5. In a machine according to claim 4 in which said first transfer meanson each of said shuttle members comprises a fourth roller rotatablymounted on said third shaft, and said second transfer means associatedwith each of said rotors comprises cam means for cooperation with saidfourth roller, said third shaft being positioned in said shuttle memberintermediate said first and second shafts.

6. A machine according to claim 5 in which there are bearing members insaid housing on which said rotors are rotatably mounted, and said cammeans associated with said rotors is fixed on said bearing members.

7. A machine according to claim 6 in which said fourth rollers on saidshuttle members for moving said strand supply carriers in one of saidopposite directions and the fixed cam means associated therewith are atone level and said fourth rollers on said shuttle members for movingsaid strand supply carriers in the other of said opposite direction andthe fixed cam means associated therewith are at another level.

8. A machine according to claim 7 in which one of said notches of saidpairs in each of said flanges closely interfit one of said first rollersof each of said first and second pairs and the other of said notches ofsaid pairs in each of said flanges is elongated, said elongated notcheshaving end surfaces for engagement with the other of said first rollersof each of said first and second pairs when said rollers are inengagement with said pairs of notches in said rotors, and said elongatednotches of said pairs permitting disengagement of said other of saidfirst rollers of said first and second pairs from said end surfacesduring transfer of said first rollers from said pairs of notches in oneof said rotors to said pairs of notches in an adjacent rotor.

9. A machine according to claim 8 in which said first rollers of saidfirst and second pairs in trailing positions in said shuttle membersduring movement in opposite directions engage in said closelyinterfitting notches of said pairs and said other of said first rollersof said first and second pairs in leading positions on said shuttlemembers engage in said elongated notches.

10. A machine according to claim 9 in which one of said pairs of saidfirst rollers on each of said shuttle members is provided with flangesfor engaging opposite side faces of one of said flanges on each of saidrotors.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 898,939 9/1908 Thun 8737 949,2452/1910 Orthrnann S7-37 XR 1,011,632 12/1911 Luthe 8737 1,165,361 12/1915Pegg 87-38 1,330,264 2/1920 Hardrnan 8738 XR 1,356,570 10/1920 Turney8738 XR 1,358,173 11/1920 Penso et al. 87--38 XR 1,702,814 2/1929Corbett 8737 JOHN PETRAKES, Primary Examiner.

